Troubled in Paradise
by MiaLunaAmore
Summary: After graduating, Bella is still blissful with Jacob, and is maintaining her friendships with the Cullens. However, when Alice receives a disturbing vision that requires Bella to take chances, will she be able to help along with keeping a 'normal' life?
1. Graduation

I looked in the mirror at the reflection staring back at me and smiled.

"This is it, Bella." I whispered to myself. "This is the start of your life." I fixed my white cap atop my head, put my tassel to the right side, and put on my gown. Today was my day of graduation. I gingerly picked up the eyeliner, as well as the mascara and lip gloss Alice had taught me to use. It still wasn't a preferred tool of choice, but Alice had insisted for my graduation, and had taught me after long hours of (what seemed like) torture to me. I'd already attended the Cullens' and the Hales' graduation last week, and Jake and I had gone to their graduation party; excluding Edward. After a month of being with Nicole, they went off, and we rarely heard from them. He hadn't even bothered to show up to his family's graduation. Ignorance was bliss, I suppose.

But now it was my turn. And I was nervous. Sure, I'd already been accepted and planned on going to the University of Washington (merely because it was barely a half hour away), but I didn't like the fact that I wouldn't be seeing Jake as much. It felt like the schedule I'd had back when I lived in Forks. But he'd assured me that we'd still have plenty of time, and in just a year, we'd be going to school together; and hopefully living off-campus together as well-Charlie and Billy allowing. We'd spent every single second possible together, and luckily, we'd have the summer together before the slight split in distance. I took a deep breath. No need to worry about that now. I still had a lot of time before it happened. I just focused on my face in the mirror and finished getting ready.

"Bells!" I heard Charlie call from downstairs. "You almost ready? Everyone's waiting for you!" His voice sounded a bit anxiety-ridden, and I worried for a second; until I heard Billy chuckle.

"Not used to the fact that your little girl's grown up?" I heard Billy's deep voice say. Then I heard a large 'thump' and laughed. Boys.

"Almost, Dad!" I called down. "I'll be there in a second!"

"Well what if a second's not soon enough?" said a voice behind me. I whirled around. It was my Jake. An enormous smile burst out across my face.

"Jake!" I trilled-quietly enough so that Billy and Charlie wouldn't hear me. Jake in my bedroom was considered 'breaking the rules'. I ran into his arms, and snuggled into his chest. He laughed softly, encasing me into his arms. I looked up at him, reaching for a kiss, which he gave me after bending down to reach me. His werewolf growth spurt had made him grow taller yet again, and he was a little over six feet. Which made me look like a shrimp. But if the distance was too great, he always just scooped me up in his arms, and made the distance disappear. I nuzzled next to him, and he held me tighter. Suddenly, a bit of realization hit me. "Hey, won't Billy or Charlie notice you're missing from downstairs? And how'd you get in here?" He laughed.

"Was wondering when you'd notice that. I got in through the window; as per usual. And they think that I'm already at the field, waiting for you. I figured I'd let them think that so I could visit you in case you were getting nervous. Speaking of which, are you?" He knew me far too well. I averted my eyes.

"Maybeee…." I said, not looking directly in his eyes. He took my chin gently in his hands.

"Bells…" he said softly in a deep voice that sent warm shivers down my spine. "Are you?" My eyes shot downward.

"Yes."

"So why aren't you looking at me?"

"Because."

"Because…?" I looked back up at him.

"Because I have an allotted time to get ready, and when you're this close to me, I can't think straight." He smiled, and took me into a deep kiss. My arms curled up around his neck and I felt my hips subconsciously go closer to his. The imprint had made everything much stronger, and we were still getting used to it. But we definitely enjoyed it.

"Bella!" Charlie's voice rang again. I sighed and unwrapped my arms from around his neck.

"Time to go?" Jake asked. I nodded sadly. He laughed and fixed my cap which had become a little lopsided. "Alright, I better stop distracting you then. See you later, beautiful." He kissed me on the forehead and was out the window in a flash. I shook my head, smiling. Only Jake. I shut the window and ran down the stairs.

"I'm ready!" I said breathless. I looked at Charlie, who looked like he had tears in his eyes. "Dad, you okay?" I asked, coming forward. He nodded gruffly.

"Yup. Its just allergies. You know how it gets." He said, wiping at his eyes.

"In the beginning of summer?" Billy asked sarcastically. Charlie kicked Billy's wheelchair. "Ouch. Just saying. You look stunning, Bella." He said, reaching out for a hug. I reached forward to give it to him, and as I did so he whispered in my ear, "And tell Jacob not to visit you in your room. I'll let it go this one time." I had to bite my tongue to stop from laughing out loud. Of course Billy would notice. After hugging Billy, I reached out to Charlie and offered my arm.

"Well, shall we go, sir?" I asked formally, and he chucked and linked arms with me.

"Let's go." He said. We went out to the truck, and threw Billy's chair in the truck bed after we got him inside, and then drove to the football field where graduation was being held. The ceremony was small; I only had about seventy-five people in my class, so it didn't take an extraordinarily long amount of time. Right before we threw our caps in the air, I looked around at the people next to me. Even though we'd only spent a few months together, they'd become my family. Leah was the only one graduating with me, but Embry, Quil, and Seth? I'd miss seeing them too. Luckily, Jake and I planned on still living on the reservation after college. But still. It was going to be different. As we threw our caps in the air, a tear went down my face. It was going to be different. But it'd be a new adventure all the same.

After we all got out, I looked into the audience for some of my favorite faces. Along with all my La Push friends and Jake, the Cullens had also decided to come. Alice rushed over to me with a big hug.

"Congratulations, Bella!" she said, wrapping me in a big hug. "We're going to have so much fun at school together this year!" I smiled.

"I'm excited," I said. All of the Cullens had decided to go to the same university as well. That friendship wouldn't be broken anytime soon, which I was marvelously happy about. They were my family too; regardless of the feud that existed between vampires and werewolves. After Alice, I received hugs from all the other Cullens, including Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Carlisle and Esme. When I reached Esme, she took out a small package from behind her back and gave it to me. "What's this?" I asked, in confusion.

"A graduation present; from all of us." She said, smiling. I opened it gently, and found a miniature digital picture frame. I looked at it somewhat oddly. She laughed. "Its filled with a few pictures of all of us; including you and Jacob and Charlie and Billy too. We thought it'd be nice to have an up-to-date way to keep track of memories. A little piece of home when you're away from home." Tears sprung in my eyes.

"Thank you all," I said, reaching out for another hug. They all reached in and gave a big group hug around me.

"You're family to us, Bella." Carlisle said. "Of course." When we all broke free of the hug, Rose looked around anxiously.

"I think it might be time to get out of this kennel," she said cautiously. "I think we may be in danger of overstaying our welcome." Jasper nodded.

"Agreed. The tension is rising. But congratulations, Bella. We'll see you soon?" I nodded.

"Of course! We'll definitely spend time together this summer before the fall term starts." They smiled.

"Alright," He said. "Alice?" He turned to her, and she reached in for one last hug.

"See you soon!" She chirped, and then they were off to the parking lot. I waltzed over to Charlie and Billy, and looked around in confusion, when I couldn't find Jake among them.

"Congrats, Bella!" Billy shouted. Charlie just took me in a hug, not even bothering to attempt to hide the fact that he was crying.

"Thanks Billy," I said, hugging Charlie tightly.

"You did great, Bells." Charlie said. "You didn't trip or anything when you got your diploma." Sadly, he was being serious.

"Dad!" I exclaimed, laughing, and giving him a deeper hug. He broke free and looked me in the eyes.

"I'm proud of you, Bells, real proud. You've done an amazing job. Couldn't ask for a better kid."

"Well, I had a pretty good dad, so I guess that's where I got it from." He smiled. "Speaking of good dads…" my voice trailed off and I turned to Billy, "have you seen your son?" He smiled innocently. The next thing I knew, I was no longer standing on the ground, and I was in Jake's arms.

"You called?" He said, holding me close.


	2. Surprise Celebrations

I looked at him and stuck my tongue out. "Am I not allowed to walk, even now that I've graduated?" He pondered this for a moment.

"Yup." He nodded his head. I sighed.

"You tend to be a bit ridiculous," I said, tweaking his nose. He crinkled his face and laughed as we walked further from Billy and Charlie.

"I let you hang out with vampires," he said, cocking an eyebrow. "I am more than generous." I rolled my eyes.

"They're vegetarians," I reminded him. "So, that's not that big a deal." He grumbled under his breath. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing!" He said sarcastically. I chuckled.

"I choose you most of the time, right?" He nodded slowly. "Then I guess that means that I like you better, doesn't it?" He smiled, and came in for a kiss, which I gave. When it ended, I looked up at him. "Now please put me down! We have to go to dinner with Charlie and Billy." They'd refused to let me create supper, and since Jacob was the only one who possessed cooking talent besides me (and we were practically inseparable), we'd decided that it'd be best to go out for dinner. Jacob let out an annoyed noise, but put me down. He took my hand in his, and I leaned my head against his shoulder. "Thank you," I said sweetly.

"Yeah, yeah," He said smiling down at me. I clung closer to him. I was one of the luckiest people alive. We walked back to Charlie and Billy who were reliving their teenage days and trying to 'fight' one another. It was actually kind of funny, since Billy just kept rolling over Charlie's feet, sufficiently ending that battle.

"Excuse me!" I called out, laughing a little at their game. They looked up. "Are we going to our super-mysterious supper, or am I to cook?" Charlie immediately frowned.

"You are not cooking!" He said quickly, and Billy nodded alongside him.

"C'mon Charlie," Billy said, already wheeling himself to my truck. We got him and Charlie in the truck, and since there was little to no room left, Jake and I took the truck bed. Charlie didn't have a problem, since he was the town's Chief of Police, and what he said went. Jake and I just sat in the back, letting what air came to us flow across our faces. Then something occurred to me.

"Jake?" I asked, looking up at him. He lifted his head to turn it around to look at me.

"What, Bells?" He asked.

"Since we're imprinted…and that means that obviously we're going to be together for life…will Charlie ever find out about the werewolf thing?" It kind of bugged having to hide that detail from my dad, even if he fully approved of Jake and I's relationship. Even though he still was slightly protective, he couldn't have thought of a better boyfriend for me than his best friend's son. I wasn't sure how he'd feel if he knew that Jake was a mythical creature. Jake thought about my question seriously though.

"Huh. Well, we usually try to keep everything under wraps…but I don't know. Since Charlie's practically family, and we're imprinted, I think it kind of makes things different." He shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"It just crossed my mind," I answered. "Would I have been able to know if it hadn't been for the Cullens?" He thought about that too, and before he answered, a huge grin crossed his face.

"Yes," he answered, his smile increasing.

"Why are you smiling so much?" I asked, a smile coming on my own face. It was contagious, being around him. Our emotions were linked so we acted in sync. "How do you know that I would have found out at some point or another?" He stopped holding my hand, and put his arm around me.

"Because, I fell in love with you. And because of that, I wouldn't ever keep a secret from you."

"But you won't tell me where we're going!" I said exasperatedly, and he held up his other hand in protest.

"That is not my fault!" He said. "I only know one of the places that we're going to, and I'm not allowed to distribute that information." I pouted and he laughed. "Don't worry, we're doing something that you'll enjoy; both at dinner, and afterwards."

"Good." I said enthusiastically. We kept driving for a few more miles until we pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant named 'Blue Moon'. I rolled my eyes, subconsciously making a connection to werewolves and the moon. I would bet money that Billy had picked the place out. Jake helped me out of the truck, and I went inside with him, Billy and Charlie. However, as soon as I walked through the door, I was enveloped in a hug. I immediately recognized the sweet apple scent.

"Mom?" I said, instantly returning the hug, and beginning to tear up. So this was my surprise. "I thought you couldn't come because Phil had a game in New England!" Tears were flowing down my face.

"He does," she said, hugging me tighter, "But I took a flight out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, getting a flight out here takes forever, and I couldn't actually make it to your official graduation." She stepped back, holding me at arm's length. "But I couldn't miss my only daughter's entire night of graduating." She started crying, and wiped away a tear that was coming down. "You look so grown up, sweetie. I've missed you." I went back for another hug. I loved my dad, along with Billy and Jake to pieces, but I hadn't seen my mom since the summertime of last year. I turned to Charlie, and he was getting teary-eyed as well. "Your dad arranged it all," Renee said. "He knew how important this was to you." I went to my dad and gave him a hug.

"Thank you," I whispered into his ear. He hugged me tighter.

"Of course, Bells. What are dads for?" I couldn't stop crying now. Finally, all my family had been with me today. And it felt wonderful. A waitress looked at us warily.

"Would you…like to be seated?" She asked cautiously. I laughed,

"Yes, please. Sorry. A small reunion and graduation just occurred. A little bit emotional." I explained. A look of understanding came on her face.

"Ah," She said, a small grin coming on her face. "Then…five?" We all laughed.

"Yes," Billy said, coming forward.

"Follow me," She said, heading off to a booth, and we all followed after. I sat between Renee and Charlie, and faced Billy and Jake on the other side. We ordered, and talked, spending hours upon hours just enjoying each other's company. After dinner, we got up to go to our separate cars.

"How long are you staying?" I asked Renee. She looked around hesitantly.

"I can't stay for too-too long, but I'm staying a few days. I'm sorry it couldn't be more, but-" I cut her off.

"That's fine," I assured her. "As long as tonight's not the only night I see my mom." She stroked a piece of hair back behind my ear.

"Of course, honey. Don't worry; we'll have a sleepover or two during the next few days. Now, its time for you and Jacob to go to your next expedition. He's driving your car, and I'm bringing your dad and Billy back in my rental car. I'll see you later, sweetie." She kissed me on the forehead, and made her way to her rented yellow VW bug. Typical Renee. Charlie and Billy both gave me a brief hug, and then followed Renee. I spun around to face my Jake.

"Where are we going?" I asked, impatiently. "And why can't I drive?" He shook his head.

"Nope, lil' miss. You're not getting anything out of me." I crossed my arms stubbornly, and he laughed, picking me up. I didn't even bother to complain; it wouldn't do any good. He put me inside of the truck, let himself into the driver's seat, and off we went, holding hands the entire way.


End file.
